We’re proud of you, Saba Jar Allah! [Archives:2003/643/Education]
Dr. Ramakanta Sahu
Ms. Saba Jar Allah Gawbah, a student of English department, Faculty of Arts, Sana'a University, has done her family, her University, her country-nay, without any fear of exaggeration, the entire Arab world proud by being the winner of the much coveted international honor for her poetic talents.
She has been declared the Poet of the Year for 2003 and the winner of Grand prize of $20,000, the largest cash prize ever awarded to an amateur poet.
In his letter Steve Michaels, International Society of Poets Convention Chair Person, informed her that her induction to this unique honor will take place Friday evening August 15th, in the United States Capital, Washington D.C during the 2003 International Society of Poets Summer 2003 Convention and Symposium where she will be presented the outstanding Achievement in Poetry Silver Award Cup, the Commemorative Award Medallion, and lots of other gifts apart from the cash award in recognition of her poetry presentation.
Saba will have the rare opportunity of getting up close and personal with the Pulitzer prize-winning poet W.D Snodgrass, Dr. Herbert Woodward Martin, Mattie Stepanek, at Dr. Len Roberts, who will also be reading their work. She will have the privilege of learning more about her craft in seminars, reading rooms, rap sessions and workshops where she can read and discuss her poetry in informal settings with other poets from all over the world.
This is the first time, a Yemeni girl, daughter of the land of Queen Sheba, has been crowned with top poetic honors and internationally acclaimed as an outstanding poetic talent. We congratulate Saba Jar Allah on her well- deserved recognition and wish her many more laurels in future.
A brief biographical sketch
Daughter of J.S.G, who retired as Head Manager, Ministry of Finance, Saba was born on 8 January 1982. She completed her primary education at Hafsha School, and secondary schooling at Arwa school, Sana'a. She has also been a student of NIAS Institute at HALI, Sana'a. Her leisure time activities include reading, writing poems, short stories, political articles and browsing Internet. Her maiden venture in writing poetry was when she was a student in the secondary school. She has not looked back since then. It is small wonder that she has won many prizes in competitions, including the Yemen Times Inter College Competition, for her poetic talent.
About her participation in this International poetry contest, Saba ruminates that she chanced to know about the competition in the Internet, but it was beyond her wildest dream that she would be nominated as the winner. Recalling her reaction at the moment of the announcement of her nomination, Saba says that she was thrilled. She felt on top of the world when she received another letter from the International Society of Poetry telling her that they would publish her poem in a book called Patterns of Life
Saba, for whom her ideal is her brother working in UNO-CDF, has aspirations of seeing herself as a writer of repute in future.
May your dream come true, Saba. Amen
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